Reach Out And Touch Faith
by Singing2theChoir
Summary: Post Never Been Kissed, Blaine/Kurt.  M for Mature themes. Pretty much AU after "Never Been Kissed".
1. Chapter 1

December 2010 Dalton, OH

At Dalton Academy, the Winter Tea was one of the events that Blaine would normally avoid like the plague but Warblers had their normal performance and while he could appreciate the audience and the opportunity, Blaine was quite happy to make his escape as soon as they were finished. Once he was behind the wheel of his car, he was able to check his phone. Just as he'd thought, there was a text from Kurt.

_ Just got finished with practice. Call if you have time – K._

He and Kurt had been calling, texting and emailing since their second meeting at McKinley a few weeks ago. They'd been trying to meet up for a while but with the competition coming up, Kurt's dad's recovery, midterms and just life in general, they'd both been too busy and hadn't found the time.

Blaine thought about just going home and relaxing but he really did want to spend time with his new friend. There was something about Kurt that was really adorable. And now that he'd admitted that to himself, Blaine decided to give him a call.

"Hi Blaine!" Kurt sounded happy but then it was Saturday and he hadn't had to deal with that Neanderthal at his school today.

"Hey Kurt, I just got your message. I'm free tonight so how about an early dinner?"

"In person?" Kurt sounded a little surprised but still happy, "Sounds good. Where and when?"

"I'm heading home to change so why don't I pick you up in at four thirty?"

"Okay." There was a pause on the line then Kurt asked, "Hey, are you okay?"

Surprised that Kurt had picked up on his mood, Blaine just answered, "Yeah. Why?"

Blaine could hear Kurt sigh across the airwaves.

"You just sound funny. Did something happen?"

"Yes – well, no. Just the same old, same old. I'll tell you about it when I see you."

"Okay. Drive safe."

An hour and ten minutes later, Blaine pulled in front of Kurt's house and nervously smoothed down his hair before getting out and walking up to the door. He'd forgotten about the 'meeting the parents' aspect of 'I'll pick you up'.

The door opened and he was looking into the chest of a much taller guy – the very naked chest of said guy who was, thankfully, wearing pants.

"Can I help you?"

Could this guy sound anymore unfriendly?

"I'm here to pick up Kurt."

That simple statement seemed to flummox the big lug.

"Kurt?"

"Yes. This is the Hummel residence, right?" Blaine was pretty sure this guy was Finn aka Kurt's sort of stepbrother and fellow glee club member.

"Yeah. Um -"

Just then, Blaine could see Kurt approaching from behind Finn and so he gave Kurt a little wave.

"Finn, who was at the – hey, you're early!"

"Hey Kurt and the roads were better than as I expected."

The lanky lad looked between Kurt and Blaine and Blaine could practically see the thoughts bubbles forming from the guy's brain -

. . my sort of step brother . . .guy at the door. . . .gay sort of step brother . . guy at door . . .

Blaine decided to put the guy out of his misery.

"Hi, I'm Blaine. You must be Finn; Kurt's told me so much about you."

Huh, the reaction that got from both Finn and Kurt would have to be explored later. Right now, Blaine just wanted to get to dinner.

"Are you ready to go Kurt? Sorry to rush you but I didn't get any lunch."

Kurt had been flustering around since Blaine called and sort of asked him out to dinner. He'd driven Finn crazy enough to make the guy escape into the shower to ready for his own date with Rachel. Sometimes it really sucked to share a room with a person who didn't care about their appearance (Kurt tried to tell himself that Finn's attitude was actually quite healthy compared to Sam's borderline anorexia but if it meant leaving the house in some of the outfits Finn threw on . . .).

It took an hour for Kurt to talk himself down to the "this is not a date, he just wants to hang out" level and settle on an outfit that was not too casual/not too dressy/not too trendy/not too 'dude'. He'd never seen Blaine out of that school uniform but the guy didn't strike him as the flamboyant type so Kurt decided on his most neutral outfit: newish plain black slacks, a gray dress shirt, and cranberry sweater (for Christmas). It would all work with the vintage gray corduroy car coat he'd found online a couple of weeks ago.

Once Finn was out of the bathroom, Kurt dashed in to freshen up. While he was flossing, he thought he heard the door bell ring but assumed it was Rachel until he heard two men's voice. He couldn't get out to the living room fast enough.

He thought he'd die when Blaine said 'Kurt's told me so much about you,' but managed to get out of the house and into Blaine's Volvo S80 without saying much to Finn. He and Blaine sat in the car for a moment before they spoke at the same time.

"So how was the mixer?"

"Where do you want to eat?"

They both laughed then Kurt said, "You said you were hungry, there's a good Italian place a few miles from here. Do you like Italian?"

"I love Italian." Blaine answered with a quick smile as he started the car, "And the mixer was fine. How was your rehearsal this morning?"

"It went okay but we'd better not talk about it or I'll spill all our secrets."

"Okay, so how did you do on that history test Friday?"

They chatted about their school work and current affairs until after they were seated in the restaurant and had placed their orders.

"So what's wrong?" Kurt asked. "You sounded kind of down earlier."

Blaine sat back and toyed with his napkin for a minute, "I really don't like going to social events like the mixer."

"Why not? You have manners and you're not a total dweeb." Kurt said with a teasing smile.

Laughing, Blaine shook his head, "I know I can fit in but I feel like I'm always acting the part. I don't really care of the Winters are summering in Monte Carlo or if the Summers are wintering in Vail. I'd much rather talk about art or music or even politics instead of gossip about who just had a face lift. After ten minutes I feel my eyes starting to glaze over. I'd have rather spent the afternoon hanging out with you."

Kurt blushed and leaned forward with his cheek on his hand, "Blaine, I'd have rather spent the afternoon with you too."

Any further conversation was curtailed by the arrival of their orders: seafood ravioli for Kurt and pesto chicken for Blaine.

"That looks good." Kurt said, staring over at Blaine's plate.

"Funny. I was just thinking the same thing about yours." Blaine replied.

Kurt took his bread plate, put a few ravioli on it and slid it across the table while Blaine followed suit with his bread plate and some of his chicken. "There, now we can both be happy."

They talked and laughed while they ate, enjoying the other's company and the good food. Blaine confessed that he was glad they didn't end up at BreadStix.

"Okay, what do you have against it?" Kurt couldn't resist asking.

"My ex-boyfriend works at the one here in Lima. We're not sworn enemies but I don't want him around my food."

"You have an ex-boyfriend?"

"Yes, Matthew. He graduated from Dalton last year."

"Wait, he graduated from Dalton and he's working at Breadstix? That's like . . . I don't know." Kurt said, waving his thankfully empty fork around.

"I know. I heard he really messed up on his SATs but that was after we broke up so I'm not really sure what the story is."

"Maybe he was heartbroken?"

Blaine's lips twisted, "I doubt that. As it turns out, while I thought he was my boyfriend, he thought we were a casual thing."

"Oh. I'm sorry." Kurt said, giving Blaine's hand a comforting pat.

"No, it's okay. I'm glad I found out before I got too involved with him. I'm just not one of those people who believes gay is synonymous with slut."

They were quiet for a minute and Kurt gave Blaine's hand one last squeeze before picking up his fork again.

"Then I guess 'Queer As Folk' isn't one of your favorite shows?"

Blaine couldn't believe how much fun he was having. Kurt was charming, witty and just a little catty. He had strong opinions and was very quick on his feet. He also didn't mind having his views questioned and could give as well as take.

"So Kurt, what are your feelings about dessert?" Blaine asked after their empty plates had been cleared.

"It depends. They have a really great chocolate torte here but it's too much for one person."

"Excellent. I love chocolate so how about we share?"

Kurt couldn't believe how much fun he was having. He'd been afraid that Blaine would be suave and sophisticated and it would be awkward because Kurt wasn't any of those things but instead, Blaine was funny and sweet and just a little shy at times. Kurt had already known Blaine was a nice guy from their previous conversations but the other boy really was a deep down decent person.

"Hey, I think that was my piece of torte, Blaine!" Kurt exclaimed as his fork fought with Blaine's.

Blaine popped the piece in his mouth and grinned, "You snooze you lose, Kurt. Age and experience will always win out over youth and enthusiasm."

"I think you mean 'old age and treachery,'" Kurt quipped while defending the last piece of torte. "And those fifteen months are really showing on you. Shall I fetch your cane?"

Kurt stopped laughing when the waitress dropped the check and Blaine quickly took it off the table.

"Hey!"

"Hey what? I asked you out to dinner so I pay. You can ask me out the next time."

Kurt was still quiet when they got out to the car. Blaine started the engine to take the chill off and then looked over at Kurt who was being very still in the passenger seat.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No."

"Then what's wrong?"

Blaine watched as Kurt nervously fiddled with the seat belt and reached over to grasp the other boy's hands. "Hey, it's me. If I've made you uncomfortable, you can tell me."

Kurt drew in a shaky breath. "You said . . are we on a date?"

"We could be." Blaine said then shook his head, No, I'm not going to cop out on this. Yes, I like you, I hope you like me and we're on a date. Is that okay?" Blaine waited, hoping that he hadn't freaked Kurt out.

"Yeah. It's good." Kurt replied, smiling at him shyly. "I've just never been on a date before."

"Oh, then I hope you're enjoying yourself. It's still early so would you like to go to a movie or -."

"Do you want to come back to my house? We've got lots of DVDs or we can stream something on NetFlix."

"Okay. What about Finn and your dad and Carole?"

"Dad and Carole are in Akron for the weekend and Finn has a date with Rachel. He'll be back around ten. Um, not that I'm saying we can do anything we want." Kurt added hastily with a blush.

"Relax, Kurt. We're on a first date," Blaine said then added with a grin and a wink, "I won't expect you to put out until at least our fifth date."

They arrived back at Kurt's house and after Kurt hung their coats and went to turn up the heat, Blaine looked around the living room. It was clean and tidy with a big flat screen and neat stacks of DVDs. A lot of DVDs, Blaine discovered as he started to look through them.

"I brought those out for my dad and haven't gotten around to putting them away. Do you see anything you want to watch?"

"I don't know. I've got a lot of these myself. How about 'Clueless'?" Blaine asked, holding up the case.

"You like 'Clueless'?"

"What's not to like? I inherited my older sister's VHS collection so I've seen all the classic eighties and nineties chick flicks."

"Okay then."

Kurt felt a little awkward at first, sitting on the couch with Blaine. They weren't sitting as close as he'd seen Finn and Rachel sit but they were certainly closer than he'd normally sit next to someone. Before the movie started, Blaine insisted they turn off all but one small light and kick off their shoes because 'you can't properly enjoy a movie unless you're comfortable.'

So here they were, sitting together on the couch and Kurt was almost too nervous to enjoy the movie. He kept wanting to reach over and take Blaine's hand but he wasn't sure how someone went about doing that. During the scene on the tennis court, Blaine solved the problem by leaning closer and taking Kurt's hand.

"Can you believe these outfits?'

"No, I really can't." Kurt couldn't quite believe anything about the last few hours.

After the movie, he and Blaine were cozied up together and lazily arguing about how clueless Cher Horowitz really was.

"Come on, the girl was born in California and had no gaydar?"

"Not everyone has gaydar and I'm not sure it really exists anyway." Blaine said, just to be contrary.

"How can you say that?" Kurt gently tapped Blaine on the chest, "That's like thinking Elton is cute."

"I don't think Elton is cute. The way he took up with Amber? He's a dog. Now Travis is cute."

"You didn't think Christian was cute?"

"I don't know. I like his wardrobe but he's kind of a tool. A girl invites you over to watch movies, she's wearing a slip and you don't get that she's into you during the first minute? That's a tool."

"Oh, true. Never thought of it that way." Kurt said, and then looked into Blaine's eyes. "Um, would you mind if I kissed you?"

Blaine leaned in closer, "I thought you'd never ask."

It wasn't much as kisses go, just a brief brush of the lips before Kurt was leaning back.

"So what did you think?" Blaine asked.

"I liked it." Kurt answered then grinned, "I liked it so much that I'm going to consider it my first kiss."

Blaine's smile almost blinded him. "Want to do it again?"

They kissed again and then a few more times. Blaine wasn't surprised that their kisses remained light and the only other body parts that were touching were their hands. He was fully aware of how inexperienced Kurt was and knew better than to push. It was better to let Kurt set the pace.

Kurt pulled back and took a deep breath. "I'm not sure where this goes from here."

"We could continue kissing and talking which I definitely don't mind or we could both sit back and watch another movie which I also won't mind. It's up to you."

"I'd like to continue kissing but I'm not sure how – I mean, I know I'm not used to -." Kurt blushed again.

"Kurt, I know you haven't done anything like this before because you told me you haven't. How about we try something different? I'll do something and if you like it, we'll continue and if you don't like it, just tell me to stop. How's that?"

"O-okay."

Blaine moved over to sit on the coffee table and situated himself to be directly across from Kurt much to Kurt's bemusement.

"How does you moving further away help here?"

"Just give me a second and skootch up a little." Blaine got them situated and then leaned towards Kurt while sliding his hands up to Kurt's shoulders. This kiss was more involved and after twenty minutes, they had progressed to lying on the couch together with their limbs intertwined. They weren't grinding on each other exactly but Kurt could tell that Blaine was enjoying their activities as much as Kurt was. That eventually led Kurt to realize that that he was pretty close to doing something that had previously never happened with another person in the room. He pulled back from Blaine's delicious lips and rested his cheek against Blaine's while breathing deeply.

"You okay?" Blaine asked quietly.

"Yeah, I just -." Kurt couldn't continue.

"I know." Blaine huffed a soft laugh and ran his fingers through Kurt's hair, "If you'll pardon the pun, that's the upside being gay. I totally understand this situation."

Kurt giggled and snuggled into Blaine's arms. "Yeah, the upside. I think we'd better stop for a while, is that okay?"

"It's good. Well, not good but I'm not going to die or anything. I'm going to need a couple of minutes though."

"Me too."

By the time Rachel and Finn showed up, Blaine and Kurt were innocently sitting on the couch watching 'Chicago'.

Blaine rose as Kurt introduced him to the other couple and shook their hands, "Nice to meet both of you."

Rachel distractedly nodded at him with her eyes on the TV screen. "Oh, I love this part. Finn, we have to watch this."

Finn sat down on the far side of the couch, leaving enough room for Rachel to squeeze in next to Kurt. Of course that turned into Rachel and Finn staying for the last forty minutes of the movie. It wasn't as awkward as Kurt expected it to be – just four folks hanging out and watching the movie although he was holding Blaine's hand the whole time.

Blaine checked his watch and tapped Kurt on the arm, "Hey, I need to get going."

Kurt nodded and stood up, "Finn, Rachel would you mind going into the kitchen for a few minutes?"

"Why?" Finn asked suspiciously.

Rachel, who for once wasn't quite as oblivious as she normally was, just rolled her eyes, grabbed Finn by the arm and dragged him into the other room, "Nice meeting you, Blaine. Have a good night!"

"Thanks, Rachel." Blaine answered then turned to smile at Kurt. "This is not how I pictured saying good night to you."

"Me either. Um, are you busy tomorrow?"

"I've got some assignments due this week so I'll be homework guy." Blaine said as he put on his coat.

"Oh. I have homework too tomorrow but I have a laptop."

"Great. Do you want to come over around eleven?"

"Okay. How about I bring lunch with me so we get right to work?"

"That's even better since I'm hopeless in the kitchen."

"I'll make sandwiches and bring them." Kurt said as he stepped closer to Blaine then suddenly realized he was taller than Blaine. That didn't seem to faze Blaine as the other boy leaned in for a kiss.

For a second, Kurt was distracted by how different it was kissing someone while standing up but that didn't stop him from wrapping his arms around Blaine and taking full advantage of the situation.

It took them several minutes before Blaine reluctantly pushed him away. "Wow, are you a fast learner."

"Sorry, I didn't mean -." Kurt rushed to apologize only to have Blaine press a finger to his lips.

"Kurt I wasn't complaining, just expressing my admiration. And I'm going before I end up wearing that admiration home, if you know what I mean." Blaine quipped with a quick glance down. "I'll see you tomorrow."

Blaine snuck in a quick kiss and then walked out the door. Kurt stood there for a minute before walking over to collapse on the couch.

He was still feeling that tiny bit of disbelief – that not only had he, Kurt Hummel, gone out on a date but his date was the smartest, funniest, kindest guy he'd ever met. A date that had gone so well that he and Blaine had ended up on the couch doing stuff that Kurt had just assumed he'd never get to do until he was a thousand miles away from Lima, Ohio and off to a bigger more tolerant town.

"He seems nice," Rachel spoke softly from the kitchen door but it still made Kurt jump. She was looking at Kurt with a wistful expression.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you come in. Yes. He's really nice."

"I'm glad. You don't realize this but you've smiled more tonight than I've seen you smile for the last year. I'm glad you've found someone who can make you this happy."

Kurt felt his face and sure enough, he **was** smiling. Smiling so much his face would probably hurt in the morning. "Thanks, Rachel but I'm kind of surprised that you approve. He does sing in the Warblers."

"I know and I'll be sure and hate his guts on competition day but until then, he's just going to be your . ."

"Boyfriend. I think he's my boyfriend."

The next morning, Kurt was regretting saying that to Rachel as he was accosted in his own kitchen by Mercedes which was somewhat surprising since he and Mercedes hadn't been talking much lately.

"So white boy, I have to find out you have a boyfriend from Rachel?" Mercedes asked.

"I said I think he's my boyfriend and she was here last night while he was here."

"Still. You should have said something. What's he like? Rachel said he was really cute."

"He's totally adorable. Do you want to see his picture?"

A ten minutes to eleven and Blaine was anxiously waiting to see Kurt's car pull into his driveway. Blaine's house could be a little tricky to find and – well, his parents were home and he'd be introducing Kurt to them and he'd somehow forgotten to mention that **to** Kurt. Deep breath, Blaine reminded himself. You're not totally screwed here, just a little screwed. His parents were nice people who were eager to meet Kurt and Kurt was nice enough not to kill him. Maybe.

Eleven minutes later, he opened the door and walked out to meet Kurt without stopping for a coat.

"You made it!" Blaine exclaimed as Kurt opened the car door.

"I did. You weren't kidding when you said your house was hard to find but your directions worked perfectly." Kurt answered then handed Blaine a small red cooler then getting out of the car with his briefcase and a grocery bag. "Aren't you cold? It's freezing out here."

Blaine laughed and led Kurt into the house to the foyer, "It was only for a second. Here, give me your coat and what's in the cooler?"

"I told you I'd bring lunch." Kurt replied, handing over his coat after setting down his stuff on the side table, taking a minute to look around. "You said your mom did the décor. This is a great foyer and I love the paint color."

Blaine took a minute to look around; he was so used to living in this house that he sometimes forgot how it looked. "She'll be happy to hear that. Um, speaking of which, I know I should have told you but my parents are home and they wanted to meet you." Blaine said, after closing the coat closet. He was almost afraid to look at Kurt.

"Okay."

So Kurt's calm response wasn't what he was expecting and he turned to see Kurt just standing there looking at him.

"What? Does introducing me to your parents make you nervous?"

Blaine laughed and took his hand, "No, I'm more afraid of your reaction to my parents. They can be . . .they're . . well. They're my parents and they're great but sometimes . . ."

"Relax, Blaine," Kurt said. "Your parents sound like lovely people."

"Okay but remember you said that." Blaine responded, leading the way into the family room. "Mom, Dad? Are you in here?"

Kurt was trying hard to remain cool and calm. He'd spent a couple of hours talking to Mercedes that morning and had gone from feeling like he was in a dream to deciding to just go with the flow and see where this thing was going. It was very difficult for him to go with any flow since he's spent his whole life thinking he was a dolphin in the salmon spawning grounds but he was going to give it a shot.

Driving into Blaine's neighborhood had been interesting. Blaine had mentioned that his dad worked for Nationwide and his mom worked at Limited Brands, two of the biggest companies in Columbus and they lived in Dublin so Kurt expected maybe a big house in a ritzy neighborhood but Blaine's house was huge and kind of intimidating. He actually had a small pond out in front of his house!

The foyer with the sweeping staircase and second story balcony was probably bigger than Kurt's entire home but Blaine just didn't seem to notice.

Kurt followed Blaine towards the back of the house and tried not to gawk at the rooms they passed, stopping briefly to drop off the cooler and grocery bag in the drool worthy kitchen until they'd reached the family room.

Blaine's parents were watching a basketball game but stood as he and Blaine walked in.

"Mom, Dad, this is Kurt. Kurt, these are my parents Jack and Mary Lee McGregor."

Kurt shook both of their hands, "Hi Mr. and Mrs. McGregor. It's a pleasure meeting both of you."

"Likewise," Jack said, "Ewan's told us so much about you so call me Jack." Blaine's dad was about six foot tall with Blaine's slender build and distinguished graying hair. He also spoke with a lovely Irish accent.

From the look on Blaine's face, the name Ewan was one of the reasons why Blaine was so nervous.

"Dad!"

"What? Ewan's a perfectly good name!"

Mary Lee, who was about Kurt's height and had the same eyes and smile as Blaine, took Kurt's hand and drew him onto the couch, just shaking her head at what was obviously one of her husband's usual lines. "Blaine has told us quite a bit about you. I'm sorry to hear that your school is just as unenlightened as Blaine's old school was. It must be so hard. Are you looking forward to your father's wedding?"

Kurt spent the next ten minutes chatting with Blaine's mom (who was just as easy to talk to as Blaine was) before realizing that Blaine and his dad were quietly sitting across the room, watching them.

"Um. I'm sorry, I didn't realize we were monopolizing the conversation!" Kurt exclaimed.

Mary Lee just chuckled, "Kurt, I'm sure you've realized that Blaine can be –."

"Mom!" Blaine said, standing up.

"Hush, son. Blaine's a little shy in some situations, just like Jack can be."

Now it was Jack's turn to protest, "Mary Lee!"

"You hush too. I'm just letting Kurt know that he wasn't doing anything wrong. Now, dear I know you and Blaine have a ton of homework to do and Jack and I need to get over to the Danvers' for lunch and bridge. Make yourself at home and if we don't get back before you leave, it was wonderful meeting you."

Once Blaine's parents were gone, Kurt kind of feeling as if he'd been picked up by a whirlwind; Mary Lee was so engaging and energetic and Jack was so nice!

"Sorry about that," Blaine said as they walked into the kitchen. "I tried to warn you."

"You did but your parents are really nice."

"They are," Blaine acknowledged. "Although I really wish my dad would lay off the 'Ewan' thing."

"Is that really your name?" Kurt asked, opening up the cooler he'd brought.

"Yep. Ewan Blaine Cameron McGregor. It's kind of embarrassing." Blaine commented, watching Kurt bring out a couple of plastic containers, two big crusty looking rolls and a few plastic baggies filled with veggies.

"At least Ewan McGregor is a great actor and seems pretty cool. You could have been Mel Gibson or Tom Cruise."

"True. And what are you making? I can't believe you cook."

"Blaine, sandwiches aren't cooking but we're having chicken salad on ciabatta bread," Kurt replied, holding up one container, "With potato soup," Kurt continued, holding up the other container, "And fixings." The baggies were held up. "You do have a microwave, right?"

"Potato soup would qualify as cooking but the microwave is right over here. I do know where that is. Do you need stuff? Like bowls or plates or something?"

"That would be good." Kurt said, digging through the grocery bag and emerging with two bottles of Jones Organic soda, "You like the peach, right? I think we'll need glasses and ice."

"I do like the peach and I'll get glasses. Do you want coffee for later?" Blaine asked, setting out the various dishware and glasses before opening the cabinet with the coffee maker and setting it up for brewing later.

"Sure." Kurt answered as he worked out how to make the microwave heat the soup.

A few minutes later, they were sitting down at the bar in the kitchen eating their sandwiches and soup.

"Kurt, this is really good." Blaine said after tasting both. "Thank you for doing this."

"Thanks and it's no problem. I kept picturing you sitting around starving to death because you can't open that very well stocked fridge over there." Kurt said pointing to the double wide appliance.

"It's not that I can't open it." Blaine said, bumping Kurt's shoulder with his own, "This is just more fun than heating up leftovers."

Blaine had given some careful thought on where he and Kurt could study. There was always his room but that contained a bed and that would be distracting and maybe a little pushy. He nixed a couple of rooms as being too formal and the family room was out because of the TV which left the den. That was a good place since it had plenty of room and there was a fireplace.

While Kurt was getting settled on the couch, Blaine started a cozy fire and switched on the stereo.

"I hope you don't mind; I can't watch TV while I study but music helps me concentrate."

"I don't mind a bit. What do you like to listen to?"

"Mostly oldies, rock and blues, even country sometimes."

Kurt wrinkled up his nose, "Country?"

"The classic old stuff from the sixties. Don't worry, I won't play any today. I was thinking that this feels like a Beatles kind of day. Is that okay with you?" Blaine asked as he took the loveseat.

"Sure."

It was surprising how much work they both got done, Blaine thought a couple of hours later. Kurt was just finishing up a paper for English while Blaine had gotten through all three of his assignments due later that week. It hadn't been all work though since they'd occasionally sing along with the stereo and Blaine made a pot of coffee while Kurt pulled out four small cupcakes that tasted like hot cocoa – those were so delicious that Blaine had to force himself to only eat two and not attempt to steal one of Kurt's.

Kurt still had two pages of Trig homework so Blaine pulled out_ Interpreter of Maladies_, a short story collection they'd be starting this week in English. He'd already read it but he'd enjoyed the stories and some review couldn't hurt.

Thirty minutes later, Kurt turned off his laptop and sat back with a sigh. He was done with homework although sometimes he didn't see the point in doing it. The teachers at McKinley really only cared if you showed up, shut up and didn't cause trouble. Kurt did fine of the first one, failed miserably at the second and destroyed the third just by being himself.

He looked up and noticed that Blaine was reading a book – oh, wait. Blaine was actually staring back at him over the book. Kurt could feel the red sweeping up his face; he cursed both his fair complexion and that he'd been caught staring.

"Sorry."

Blaine just smiled that smile at him, "What are you sorry for?"

"I didn't mean to stare."

Dropping his book, Blaine leaned forward and said, "I don't mind if you stare. I like looking at you too."

If it were possible, Kurt was sure he was blushing harder than he'd ever blushed before so he hid his face in his hands. Why was he suddenly feeling so damn shy? He even missed it when Blaine came around the coffee table and sat down next to him.

"Hey."

"Oh!" Kurt said, looking up, "Wait, how'd you get over here?"

"I used my feet." Blaine said with a grin. "You're very cute when you blush like that."

Kurt just shook his head, "You're enjoying this aren't you?"

"Yes I am but since you were so nice about learning my dark secret, I guess I'll stop now. All finished with your homework?"

"Yes. How about you?"

"I'm done. Do you want to watch TV? Play some video games?"

"I'm really enjoying the fireplace and the music." Kurt said as he let his hand rest of Blaine's leg. "If that's okay with you."

With a grin, Blaine moved a little closer and slid his arm around Kurt's waist. "I like that plan."

"Okay." Kurt said a while later, panting slightly. "Um. I'm really not trying to be -."

"Yeah. I know," Blaine replied just as breathlessly. "Maybe we should, uh, take a walk or something. Do you want to see the basketball court?"

Kurt looked down at Blaine with one eyebrow arched, "Basketball court?"

"Yeah. I use it for a dance studio and rehearsal space." Blaine replied, waiting for Kurt's reaction.

"What are we waiting for?"

As they made their way through the house and down to the basement, Kurt couldn't help asking, "Um, Blaine? It's just you and your parents here right?"

"It is and I know, this place is totally ridiculous." Blaine replied with a wry grin, "My parents keep talking about downsizing but I think they're waiting for me to graduate so I'm not traumatized or something. It wasn't so bad when my brothers and sister still lived here and when they show up with their kids, it's nice to have a place to hide."

Kurt stopped when they entered the large room, "It really is a basketball court."

"It came with the house."

"Amazing," Kurt murmured as he turned around. "Do you rehearse here with the Warblers?"

"We used it this summer and we'll be here over winter break. Speaking of which, when does McKinley get out again?"

"The twenty third," Kurt answered absently, running his hand over the piano, "What about Dalton?"

"We're done on the twenty first. Do you play?"

"I do. Um, do you mind if I . .?" Kurt asked gesturing to instrument.

"No, god no. Go right ahead." Blaine said, curious about what Kurt would choose.

Kurt played around on the keys for a few minutes and did a few vocal scales before starting. At first, Blaine didn't recognize the melody but once Kurt started singing . . .

_There is freedom within, there is freedom without  
Try to catch the deluge in a paper cup  
There's a battle ahead, many battles are lost  
But you'll never see the end of the road  
While you're traveling with me_

_Hey now, hey now  
Don't dream it's over  
Hey now, hey now  
When the world comes in  
They come, they come  
To build a wall between us  
We know they won't win_

_Now I'm towing my car, there's a hole in the roof  
My possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof  
In the paper today, tales of war and of waste  
But you turn right over to the TV page_

_Hey now, hey now  
Don't dream it's over  
Hey now, hey now  
When the world comes in  
They come, they come  
To build a wall between us  
We know they won't win_

_Now I'm walking again to the beat of a drum  
And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart  
Only shadows ahead, barely clearing the roof  
Get to know the feeling of liberation and release_

_Hey now, hey now  
Don't dream it's over  
Hey now, hey now  
When the world comes in  
They come, they come  
To build a wall between us  
We know they won't win_

_Well, don't let them win  
Hey now, hey now  
Don't let them win  
Don't let them win, yeah (1)_

Blaine couldn't help applauding when Kurt was finished. "Wow."

"Um thanks. It was one of my mom's favorite songs; I learned to play it for her."

"You miss her a lot, huh?"

"I do. I'm really happy that Dad and Carole are together and Carole's cool but she's not my mom." Kurt said sadly then shook his head, "Sorry, didn't mean to get morbid."

Sitting down next to Kurt, Blaine gave him a hug. "I asked you and it's not morbid to miss her."

"I know but I try not to go down that road. So, are you going to sing to me?"

"If you want me to."

"I do."

"Okay. Um, let me get my guitar." Blaine said, getting up and then returning with an acoustic guitar. "Are you sure you want to hear this?"

"Of course!"

"I'm going to do this," Blaine said as he tuned the guitar. "but don't take any message from this; it's just the last song I sang on my own."

"Enough with the disclaimers, Blaine. Sing already."

_She reads a book from across the street,  
Waiting for someone that she'll never meet.  
Talk over coffee for an hour or two,  
She wonders why I'm always in a good mood.  
Killin' time before she struts her stuff,  
She needs support and I've become the crutch.  
She'll never know how much she means to me.  
I'd play the game but I'm the referee._

_Surrender every word, every thought every sound.  
Surrender every touch, every smile, every frown.  
Surrender all the pain we've endured until now.  
Surrender all the hope that I lost you have found.  
Surrender yourself to me._

_Even though I know what I'm lookin' for,  
She's got a brick wall behind her door.  
I'd travel time and confess to her,  
__But I'm afraid she'd shoot the messenger._

_Surrender every word, every thought every sound.  
Surrender every touch, every smile, every frown.  
Surrender all the pain we've endured until now.  
Surrender all the hope that I lost you have found.  
Surrender yourself to me._

_I think I found a flower in a field of weeds,  
I think I found a flower in a field of weeds.  
Searching until my hands bleed,  
This flower don't belong to me._

_I think I found a flower in a field of weeds,  
I think I found a flower in a field of weeds.  
Searching until my hands bleed,  
This flower don't belong to me.  
This flower don't belong to me.  
Why could she belong to me?_

_Every word, every thought every sound.  
Every touch, every smile, every frown.  
All the pain we've endured until now.  
All the hope that I lost you have found._

_Surrender every word, every thought every sound.  
Surrender every touch, every smile, every frown.  
Surrender all the pain we've endured until now.  
Surrender all the hope that I lost you have found.  
(Surrender) I never had the nerve to ask,  
(Surrender) Has my moment come and passed?  
(Surrender) I never had the nerve to ask,  
(Surrender) Has my moment come and passed?  
(Surrender) I never had the nerve to ask,  
(Surrender) Has my moment come and passed?_

_(Surrender) I never had the nerve to ask. (2)_

"Oh my god, Blaine! I can't believe you did Billy Talent! That was awesome!"

"Thanks and I can't believe you knew that song."

"I got one of their songs from Puck and well, I really liked them."

"Me too."

They smiled at each other and Blaine strummed his guitar. "We should do a duet."

"A duet? Us?" Kurt seemed shocked at the very notion.

"Uh huh. I like to sing, you like to sing. We'll get together over break and work on something."

"You seriously want to sing with me?"

"Why wouldn't I want to? You're got a great voice. Are you really going to make me beg here?" Blaine asked as he made a sad face.

"No. Okay, we'll duet."

"Excellent. Now let's get back upstairs. I need to check on the fireplace and do you have any more of those cupcakes?"

Crowded House – 'Don't Dream It's Over

Billy Talent - 'Surrender'


	2. Chapter 2

Author's note: thanks to everyone who has reviewed and added the story to their favorites. This story represents the end of a very long dry spell so I'm just going with the flow. Apologies for my fatal case of "comma-itis" and any spelling errors

Standard disclaimers apply.

It had been a crazy two weeks – hell it had been a crazy two months. Kurt Hummel had started out November as a lonely, bullied boy with only his father as his only family and now it was the day after Christmas and he had a new stepmom (and stepbrother) and he was going to his boyfriend's house to hang with said boyfriend and his friends.

Repeat that for anyone who hadn't been paying attention – Kurt Hummel had a boyfriend. He and Blaine had been dating for little over a month although most of their interaction had been via email, text and Skype. They'd even had a serious relationship discussion after the debacle at sectionals and as a result of that discussion, Kurt didn't feel at all nervous about spending the night at Blaine's house although he was still amazed that his dad had allowed it. And that Burt and Carole were driving him over to Blaine's house because his dad and stepmom were going to a Browns game with Blaine's parents and the four of them were spending the night in Cleveland in Blaine's dad's corporate apartment then seeing an exhibit the next day.

"You didn't have to drive me over, Dad." Kurt said from the backseat next to his sleeping bag, overnight case, laptop bag and Tupperware container of Hot Cocoa Cupcakes. "You could have met Mr. and Mrs. McGregor in Cleveland."

His dad just grunted (he'd been doing that all week) and Carole turned around to smile softly at him, "You're not supposed to drive until you go back to the doctor on Tuesday so it's no problem and I'm looking forward to spending time with Jack and Mary Lee."

Kurt smiled back at her and met his dad's eyes in the rear view mirror then looked away. He knew the anger in Burt's eyes was not directed at him – that was reserved for Dave Karofsky, Principal Figgins, McKinley High, the Lima School Board and everyone that had hurt Kurt. The sadness was what Kurt couldn't bear seeing – Burt had been so hurt that Kurt hadn't told him about Dave and just how bad the bullying was at McKinley. Finding out about it from Mercedes and Tina and Blaine while Kurt was being treated in the ER just made it hurt worse.

He still didn't know who called Blaine and how Blaine and his parents ended up at the hospital but the Hummels and the McGregors had become fast friends. That still kind of boggled Kurt's mind but maybe that was the slight concussion he'd suffered from being slammed into a brick wall.

**  
"Could he be any cuter?" David asked Wes as they watched Blaine fuss around with the snacks laid out on the kitchen counter. Blaine's parents had come through earlier to say hi and were finishing their packing upstairs.  
"Nope. He's as cute as the dickens. The only thing cuter is going to be watching him with Kurt." Wes replied with a smirk.  
"Man, are you sure you're not the gay guy in the room?" Randy asked Wes, trying to sneak a couple of cookies from one of the trays only to pull his hand back when Blaine tried to slap it, "Hey! Stop bogarting the goodies."  
"You can eat once Kurt gets here." Blaine replied, straightening the napkins. "I want him to see I'm not totally undomesticated."  
"Dude, you opened snack bags and put the snacks into bowls. You put the ice in a bowl. You opened cookie packages and put them on plates. I think we can all safely assume that you still need to have some edges sanded off." Thad said, opening a soda. "Kurt's probably quivering in his Doc Martens at the very thought of sanding down your edges."  
The other guys in the room went silent and turned to look at Thad, who had the grace to blush once he realized just what he said.  
Randy, who'd been tutoring Thad in English for two years slowly raised his arms in victory, "Yes! The guy has finally learned what a double entendre is!"  
Blaine shook his head and said, "I think I'm more surprised that he came up with Doc Marten."  
Thad just shrugged, "Blaine, you couldn't shut up about his Doc Martens that day – just don't ever tell me if you were referring to his underwear, okay?"

Blaine didn't bother wearing a coat when he dashed out into the driveway to greet Kurt and his parents.  
"Hi, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, hey Kurt. How was the drive?"

"It was fine, Blaine." Burt said, shaking the younger man's hand. Blaine got a quick hug from Carole and then turned to help Kurt get his stuff out the car.

"Blaine! You are going to catch your death! Go back inside!" Kurt said with a shooing motion.  
"I'm only out here for a minute besides you might need help with the cupcakes."  
Kurt laughed, "If that's your subtle way of asking if I brought them –."  
"I wasn't being subtle."  
"Then yes I did although I'm rethinking my role in your struggle with chocolate addiction." Kurt said, handing over a Tupperware container before pulling the strap of his laptop bag over his shoulder. His dad and Carol had already taken control of his overnight case and sleeping bag. "Okay, let's get in there and get the awkwardness over."

Kurt wasn't sure if he was talking about the awkwardness of the events at Sectionals or the bruises on his face and neck that no amount of make up would cover.

"It's not going to be awkward," Blaine replied, holding the door for Kurt and the Hummels.

"He's right, Kurt." Wes said meeting them in the hall to take Kurt's bags. "I know show choir is competitive but importing three people who've performed on Broadway and the London stage and calling them GED students? If it hadn't been for Rachel, Blaine and you recognizing the ringers, the Hipsters would have won."

"And then one of the judges got disqualified for sleeping with one of the other Hipsters getting his vote thrown out, bringing the Warblers and New Directions to a tie. We both get to go to Regionals. That's show biz," David added coming up behind them. "I've got the consoles hooked up so we're ready to go."

"Oh, Mr. and Mrs. Hummel, these are my classmates Wesley Jackson and David St John. Wes and David, these are Kurt's parents Mr. and Mrs. Hummel." Blaine said, making the introductions.

Once the nice-to-meet-yous were done, Blaine asked, "Wes, David? Can you guys take the Hummels into the kitchen and introduce them to the rest of the crowd? I'm going to go check on Mom and Dad."

Seeing his dad and Carol in Blaine's kitchen was kind of surreal although the rest of Blaine's friends all seemed like perfectly nice guys as David and Wes made the introductions. Blaine had said that there'd be about eight other guys over and they were all Warblers but Kurt was having a hard time putting faces with names. After a couple of minutes, it finally dawned on him.

"You guys aren't wearing your uniforms!"

The room went silent and then the guys all started laughing; not in a mean way just in a 'oh, aren't you funny' way.

"It's weird for us too, Kurt." Thad said, giving him a light pat on the arm. "I don't always recognize myself out of uniform either."

Blaine returned carrying two small bags trailing his parents who greeted the Hummels enthusiastically and spent a few minutes going over the very general rules like 'make sure you set the security system when you leave for dinner later and reset it when you come back', 'if you use the fireplace, close the glass doors before you go to sleep' and hysterically, 'Kurt, don't let Blaine touch the stove.'

Once the parents had hugged (Carol & Mary Lee), patted (Jack) and grunted (Burt) their way out of the door, the young men left in the kitchen seemed to give themselves little shakes and Randy turned to Kurt and motioned to his face.

"That looks like it hurt."

Kurt looked around at the suddenly solemn faces. "Uh, yeah. It did."

"Does it still hurt? Do you need ice or something?" Thad asked, hovering next to him looking concerned.

"Thanks but maybe later."

"Okay."

And just like that, it was okay. His injuries were acknowledged, his physical well-being was inquired upon and Kurt almost felt like he was actually one of the guys. There were moments when the casual touches and fist bumps of the Warblers made Kurt freeze but he was slowing relaxing and returning the gestures as they nibbled on the snacks on the kitchen counter.

When Stacy and Alex arrived with the pizzas (none of the pizza places delivered to Blaine's house), the group settled around the breakfast table and ate with plates, napkins and manners. There was actual conversation and everyone made an effort to include Kurt.

Stacy noticed Kurt's look of amazement and explained.

"Everyone at Dalton has to take etiquette classes. As snot nosed firsties, we're taught how to," Stacy's voice rose three octaves and became extremely patrician, "comport ourselves around a dining table like gentlemen.'"

"Mrs Olivier!" the rest of the guys chorused.

"As silly sophomores, we learn how to have conversations that," Stacy's voice dropped a half octave and he gained an Italian accent, "'don't include the words: dude, booyah, huh, props and diggity."

"Mr. Antonelli!"

"Now that we're juniors, we're learning that – David, you'll have to do this one."

David nodded and sang in high tenor, "A well-rounded man dances with grace and elan."

"Miss Galloway!"

"And Kurt, there ain't nothing sadder than a group of teenage guys – most of whom are straight – partnering up and waltzing while being told to 'keep your bottoms tight!'" Randy said mournfully.

"Although we Warblers do appreciate the dance practice." Alex added.

Kurt dabbed at his mouth and took a sip of soda before asking, "What about senior year?"

"Then, dear Kurt," Blaine answered wiggling his eyebrows, "We learn how give good college interview, engage in further social intercourse and experience deeper levels of pleasant entertaining."

Kurt was glad he wasn't the only one who choked on his drink.

An hour later, the group had moved to the media room where David and Randy had routed several video gaming systems through the house's WiFi for better group play. The games were displayed via the digital projector onto a super sized screen which gave the guys who weren't playing plenty of opportunity to critique and kibbutz the others.

It had taken a while to get past the bruises but Blaine could only think that Kurt was so cute as he used the controller to speed his character along in Mario Kart while taunting Stacy and Thad to 'stop driving like Grandmas'. Kurt had teamed up with Jeff and Randy and they were doing a good job of helping each other while jamming up the other players.

Spotting Kurt's cashmere cardigan, Blaine snagged it before it hit the carpet, smoothing out the soft material and folding it carefully. He closed his eyes for a moment when he caught the faint hint of Kurt's cologne.

"'I think my boyfriend's ever so dreamy.'" David quoted in a whisper as he slid into a seat next to Blaine.

"Stop it." Blaine said, looking down to hide the faint blush at being caught daydreaming.

"No seriously. You think we're teasing you when we say you're cute together but it's true. Teasing you about it is just a bonus. And that's a really nice sweater," David said, reaching out to touch the weave. "You know, it's too bad he's not my size or I'd ask to borrow it for my date tomorrow."

"Hey, I get first dibs on his wardrobe; it's part of the boyfriend code."

Kurt was having a blast but he'd been in the last six games and it was time for a breather. He'd shed his sweater earlier but even in the light dress shirt, he was glowing a bit and feeling a little light headed. He grabbed a Snapple, exchanged some helpful hints with Jeff and Randy then flopping down on the couch next to Blaine.

He managed not to panic when Blaine reached over and took his hand in a very boyfriend-like gesture. A few of the guys, David and Wesley especially, certainly noticed the move but all they did was smile and continue trying to smash each others' characters off the track.

"You feel up to going later?" Blaine asked lightly after playing with Kurt's hand for a minute.

"I'm fine, Blaine. I know my limits and see? I'm sitting down. But I can't believe you guys go to karaoke."

"We go once a month or so – Randy's uncle owns the place; he's got a killer set up and draws a good crowd."

"And you get to perform?"

"Would you turn away from a perfectly good audience?"

Blaine hadn't been kidding when he said Randy's uncle had a killer set up, Kurt thought to himself when they walked into the Grandview Cafe in downtown Columbus. The stage was raised enough for the audience to see the performers without being so high as to intimidate the room. The sound system was top of the line and the karaoke machine was so complex that a guy with dreads and big dark shades was managing the controls.

The medium sized crowd was mixed between young high school types like Blaine's friends to a really intense clutch of sorority and fraternity college aged types and even some older people.

In the best corner of the room, a couple of girls waved and Blaine slung an arm around Kurt's waist to lead him over like it was the most normal thing in the world.

The girls were introduced as Amanda, Riley, Jennifer and Tracy, the girlfriends of Randy, David, Wes and Stacy respectively, and who turned out to be just as nice as the guys. They had a good half hour to talk, get their drinks and snacks ordered (although Kurt was still stuffed from the Chinese they'd had for dinner and couldn't imagine who was going to eat the six different appetizers).

"Wes, you totally should have ridden in Blaine's car with us," Alex said as he joined them, having made a pit stop in the mens room. "Blaine and Kurt, you guys need to do that song here tonight!"

"What song?" David asked.

"It was nothing," Kurt started.

"A song came on the radio and we were singing along with it." Blaine finished.

"But you guys sounded so good!" Alex protested. "You should do it."

"I repeat, what song? And I'm asking not just as your friend but as your captain. Your very desperate glee club captain who needs to come up with new material for Regionals." David said.

"'Baby, It's Cold Outside.'" Blaine, Kurt and Alex said in unison.

"Oh. Well, we can't do that for Regionals. And Kurt, I forgot you weren't a Warbler so as far as you're concerned, we're totally doing 'Baby It's Cold Outside'."

Kurt gave him a mock salute, "Aye aye Captain."

At seven sharp, the lights dimmed and a statuesque woman dressed in a chic black evening gown took the stage.

"Good evening little children of the world, I hope you had good cheer yesterday. I am Etoile, your lovely mistress of ceremonies. Etoile means star in French and while I am dazzling you here on the stage, my loyal minions will be roaming the aisles to assist you with your song requests. Now don't be shy; you can't be all as fabulous as Etoile but you should still try."

Etoile then kicked into an impressive but short rendition of "On Broadway," and Kurt could only sit there frozen.

"You should see your face," Blaine said from beside him. "That's Randy's Uncle Bob by the way."

"Randy's uncle is a drag queen?" Kurt said, still in shock.

"Yeah. She used to live in New York and don't believe her about singing with Bette Midler in the bathhouses. She's way too young for that." Randy answered standing in front of the table, dropping pencils and slips of paper on the table then sighing dramatically. "I'm one of the loyal minions tonight so, you know, do that thing."

David grabbed one of the pencils and shoved it into Kurt's hand. "Dude, you know you aren't getting out of here without performing at least one song."

Kurt took the pencil and then looked helplessly around, "Uh, okay. What should I do?"

Tracy handed him an iPad, "The list of available tunes is on here and trust me, if Stacy could get away with doing Beyonce, the sky is the limit. "

"Although we could have lived without the costuming and choreography," Blaine quipped as he filled out his slip, "He just doesn't have a big enough butt to truly do Beyonce's dance movies justice."

After a couple of frantic minutes of searching the truly impressive song list and some advice about putting down several songs in case someone else sang your song first, Kurt finally finished.

Randy gathered their selections, took them to the stage and then came back with a guy (who Kurt had already noticed for his red SUPRAs, Marc Jacobs red and black sweater and towering height) in tow. "Kurt, this Charlie. Charlie this is Kurt."

Charlie waved as he and Randy sat down, just in time for the first performer to be called to the stage. While a conservative older woman went to the stage and talked to Etoile, Kurt turned to say something to Blaine and caught sight of Alex and Charlie kissing at the end of the table. They weren't sucking face or anything, just two guys kissing each other. In public. No one was grabbing torches, the sky wasn't falling. It was the hardest thing he'd ever seen.

As the familiar beats of 'I Love Rock n Roll' started, Kurt was pretty sure he was going to have a stroke.

It was halfway through Joan Jett when Blaine realized how still Kurt had become.

"Hey, Kurt are you okay?"

"Hm um."

If Kurt held his mouth any tighter, Blaine was pretty sure his teeth were going to snap. He was also sure that Kurt was holding back tears and kicked himself. He'd lived in this safe and welcoming environment for so long and hadn't thought about what it would be like for Kurt who faced hate and ignorance every minute. Blaine was still shocked at the level of bullying that was allowed at McKinley but this didn't solve the immediate problem of helping Kurt.

Kurt started when he felt a hand rub his back and it wasn't either of Blaine's since Blaine's hands were wrapped around his hands.

"Honey, you okay?" Amanda asked quietly.

"Uh mn." Kurt sort of answered, nodding slightly.

"If I promise that most of the people here can sing better than that wanna be up there, will that make you feel better?"

Kurt gave a watery hiccup, breathed deeply and nodded, "Uh. Yeah. Sorry."

Amanda just smiled at him and kept rubbing his back in an almost maternal gesture. The rest of the table was silently offering him their support with caring glances and Wes even reached across the table to pat his arm and quietly say, "Just take a couple of deep breaths, Kurt."

He took those deep breaths and turned to a very worried looking Blaine.

"I'm okay now. Just needed a moment."

Blaine looked at him closely, "You sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

Blaine's hands loosened on Kurt's but from the extra squeeze Blaine gave, Kurt knew that Blaine was going to want to talk about it later but wouldn't push him about it.

"Finally!" David said, as 'I Love Rock n Roll' finished a minute later and the woman's friends applauded loudly. "Randy, couldn't you get Etoile to require auditions or get tapes?"

"Uncle Bob has a life you know." Randy retorted. "If you feel so strongly about it, you should volunteer your services."

"Oh hell no!" Riley said, tossing her napkin at David, "We'd be forced to sing those obscure bands you think are cool just to get a slot."

"The Epoxies aren't obscure! Neither is October Project."

"Okay, let me rephrase that to 'lame pretentious bands that only you listen to.'"

"Oh, like Foreskin 500 is better?"

Before the argument could really get started, the next performer was announced – one of the fraternity guys – so David and Riley quieted down.

The quality of the singers steadily improved over the next hour and Kurt was starting to understand that most of the performers were regulars and that Etoile and the Mixmaster (that's what Etoile called him anyway although Randy mentioned the guy's name was actually Eugene) had some method going. It was also obvious many of those getting up on stage had some kind of training. Kurt had seen one of the sorority girls in local theater productions and Blaine pointed out that the two guys who did 'Hole Hearted' were professors at the OU drama department.

"And next we have the wonderous Riley, Tracy and Tim. Come up here, you beautiful kids."

The table clapped for their friends, the trio arranged themselves and the music started. Kurt was torn between clapping and laughing when he realized they were going to do "Knock Three Times" and that Tracy was doing the lead.

The funny thing was is that they were really good and Kurt felt a little twinge of nervousness. Or maybe that was just his bladder protesting the two apple ciders he'd consumed. Once the trio had taken their well deserved bows, Kurt nudged Blaine.

"Where's the bathroom?"

"Out that door, take a left and it's the third door on the right. If you've hit the kitchen, you've gone too far." Blaine said pointing to a door to the far left of the stage.

Kurt looked down at their entwined hands, "You're going to have to let go of me first."

"I'd say something corny like 'but what if I don't want to' but – ow!" Blaine said, dropping Kurt's hand to rub the place on his arm where Stacy hit him. "What was that for?"

"It's still corny even if you say it like that. Let the guy go to the john already."

The room had gotten quite crowded since they'd arrived and it took Kurt a couple of minutes to find the bathroom which was cleaner than most other bathrooms he'd been in but he still didn't linger. He could tell from the applause that another act was starting so he rushed back to the table only to spot the empty seat next to his.

Amanda pointed towards the stage. "You got back just in time."

Blaine was up there talking to Etoile and just as Kurt was sitting down, the two of them turned and looked at the table. Blaine gave a little wave and Etoile nodded then turned to the Mixmaster.

"Were they waiting for me? I wasn't gone that long." Kurt said, feeling his face turn a little pink.

"Of course Blaine's going to wait for you," David answered, "You're like -."

"Dude." Tim interrupted, "He's starting."

While Kurt was dying to know just what David was going to say, he turned to the stage because he really didn't want to miss any of the song. Blaine had refused to reveal his choices. When the music started, Kurt didn't recognize the tune at first and then Blaine started singing:

When the sun came up,  
We were sleeping in,  
Sunk inside our blankets,  
Sprawled across the bed,  
And we were dreaming,

There are moments when,  
When I know it and  
The world revolves around us,  
And we're keeping it,  
Keep it all going,  
This delicate balance,  
Vulnerable all knowing,

Sing like you think no one's listening,  
You would kill for this,  
Just a little bit,  
Just a little bit,  
You would, kill for this

Sing like you think no one's listening,  
You would kill for this,  
Just a little bit,  
Just a little bit,  
You would, you would...

Sing me something soft,  
Sad and delicate,  
Or loud and out of key,  
Sing me anything,  
we're glad for what we've got,  
Done with what we've lost  
Our whole lives laid out right in front of us,

Sing like you think no one's listening,  
You would kill for this,  
Just a little bit,  
Just a little bit,  
You would,

Sing like you think no one's listening,  
You would kill for this,  
Just a little bit,  
Just a little bit,  
You would, you would...

Sing me something soft,  
Sad and delicate,  
Or loud and out of key,  
Sing me anything. (1)

Once Blaine took a bow, he came back to the table and accepted the congratulations of the table and all of the people around them.

"So what did you think?" Blaine asked, once they'd all sat back down.

"That was great!" Kurt said, squeezing Blaine's hand. "I'm kicking myself that I didn't record it."

"Kurt, give your digits and I'll send it to you." Wes said, holding up his iPhone. While Kurt was obliging, the rest of the table – who all seemed to have been recording it – also sent him their copies and so did a few folks at the surrounding tables.

Since it appeared the karaoke was on some kind of break, the group started talking about (and sending) some of their favorite links around. Randy and Charlie got up and cleared off some of the empty dishes and plates to help out the wait staff, waving away offers of help from the table.

"We know where everything goes, guys. Anyone want refills on their drinks?" Charlie said, loading up a tray then wiping up a small spill of nachos. "How about dessert? There's apple pie a la mode, pumpkin pie a la mode, chocolate cake a la mode, and carrot cake a la mode."

"But do you have any ice cream?" Amanda asked with a smirk then leaned back from Charlie's weak attempt to swipe at her with his Handy-wipe.

"Kurt? You want dessert?" Blaine asked.

"No thanks but I will have a hot chocolate. Charlie, are you sure you don't need help?"

"Maybe next time, shortcake." Charlie answered with an easy smile. "Mighty Mouse, you want your usual."

"Yes, please." Blaine answered without blinking at the nickname.

Once Charlie and Randy were gone, Kurt leaned into Blaine (who'd somehow maneuvered so Kurt's arm was slung around his shoulders and he was tucked into Kurt's side) and asked, "Mighty Mouse?"

"Yep. He's called me that since I started at Dalton. I'm thoroughly convinced he doesn't know my real name."

Alex threw a napkin down the table, "Hey, don't pick on my man. Kurt, the real reason that Charlie calls Blaine 'Mighty Mouse' is that Blaine had a Mighty Mouse ring tone during freshman year. You know, before Blaine joined the Warblers and became one of the cool kids."

"Mighty Mouse is cool!" Blaine exclaimed, throwing the napkin back. "You have no appreciation of the classics."

Randy and Charlie returned with fresh drinks and several desserts and quickly passed them out. Blaine's 'usual' turned out to be a hot chocolate with a scoop of ice cream which Kurt found to be delicious when Blaine let him have a taste.

By ten, Kurt was thinking that he wasn't going to get a chance to sing and he was starting to feel a little relieved because he wasn't really at his best and the singers were getting really good. Wes and Randy had killed on '500 Miles' and Amanda did a great version of 'Chicago, Illinois' from Victor/Victoria.

Once she was back at the table, she and Kurt bonded over their mutual love of Julie Andrews and she'd gotten Kurt to promise to send her his version of 'Le Jazz Hot'.

"And now we have a new singer with us tonight, please welcome Kurt Hummel!"

Surprised, Kurt sat for a moment until Amanda and Blaine urged him up.

He walked up to the stage and paused in the bright light before stepping up and over to Etoile. Before he could even speak to her, Etoile made a motion to Eugene and the stage light was dimmed. It took Kurt a moment to realize that the lights must have really highlighted the bruises and he felt -. Before he could start blushing, Etoile took his hand and held it tightly. Her grip was rather startling until Kurt remember that Etoile wasn't really a woman.

"You're Blaine's lovely young thing?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"And you're polite too. We'll have a chance to talk later but are you okay to sing, dearling?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, none of your songs were done so you have your pick." Etoile said, handing him his slip of paper with her free hand. "What will it be?"

"Um. The third one."

Etoile smiled at him and finally let go of his hand, "An excellent choice. Mixmaster, please play this young man's song."

When the familiar strains of the music came on, Kurt felt himself relax and feel the notes. He looked across the room and caught Blaine's eyes before he started singing.

Well our hearts beat like thunder  
I don't know why they don't explode  
You got your hands in my back pockets  
And Sam Cooke's singin' on the radio  
You say that I'm the boy who can make it all come true  
Well I'm tellinya that I don't know if I know what to do

Chorus:  
You say that's all right, hold tight  
Well I don't even know if I'm doin' this right  
Well all right, hold tight  
We can stay out all day or we can run around all night  
Well all night, all night  
Well it's time to go home  
And I ain't even done with the night

Well I don't know no good come-ons  
And I don't know no cool lines  
I feel the heat of your frustration  
I know it's burnin you up deep down inside  
You say that I'm the boy who can make it all come true  
Well I'm tellin ya that I don't know if I know what to do

Chorus (2)

Once the music faded, there was a slight silence and then a wave of applause hit him. He thanked Etoile and Eugene, handing Etoile the mic and headed back to the table. He was stopped several times and congratulated by complete strangers and then got mobbed by Blaine and the rest of the table.

There were a couple of other singers take the stage after him but Kurt wasn't really paying attention. It had felt really good to sing for an appreciative audience. He was also a little worried about Blaine, who had wrapped his arms around Kurt and snuggled in really close with his face in Kurt's neck.

"Blaine?"

"Yeah?"

"Uh was it that bad?"

"No. It was . . .wonderful." Blaine murmured then pulled back suddenly, "Oh god, I'm not hurting you, am I? I forgot about your neck."

"It's okay. But you seem upset."

Blaine looked up and stared in his eyes, "I know I'm acting weird but I promise I'll explain later, okay?"

"Okay."

The Karaoke part of the evening came to a close about thirty minutes later with a sing-a-long of 'Sweet Caroline' and almost everyone got up to leave as the lights came back up.

"We're not rushing out of here – I want to wait for the parking lot to clear." Blaine said, still cuddled up against him.

"All right." Kurt said, realizing that no one at their table seemed to be in a rush either.

"We usually help clean up the tables once the room clears," Wes said from across the table. "We'll give you a pass tonight Kurt. You're looking a little pale."

"Nonsense Wes. I'm naturally pale and I'm perfectly capable of helping." Kurt protested.

"But then who'll keep me company?" A man with short slicked back hair and wearing a robe asked, coming towards them

The rest of the table greeted him with "Bob!"

"Hey kids. Thanks for helping out." Bob said hinting broadly, shooing Amanda out of her chair so he could sit down next to Kurt. "Now go off. You too Blaine."

The rest of the table got up and moved towards the wait station, in Blaine's case moving very slowly and looking back over his shoulder until Wes grabbed him and moved him along.

"So. I'm Bob." The man said, once they were alone. The only sign he'd been dressed as a woman just a few minutes earlier were his well manicured and red polished nails.

"Hi Bob. I'm Kurt."

"I know. How are you doing?"

"Me? Um, I'm okay."

"Are you feeling dizzy? Nauseous?"

"No." Kurt replied, leaning back a bit.

Bob sighed and leaned back himself. "Sorry. You can take the doctor out of the hospital but not the doctor out of the man."

"You're a doctor?"

"I spent almost twenty years at Sloane Kettering." Bob said with a smile then dropped the facade and just looked like a tired, sad man. "I always say it was the best job in the world for nineteen years, eleven months and twenty eight days. Then I had seven patients die on the twenty ninth day, walked out and quit the next day. Rationally, I know it wasn't my fault because sometimes cancer wins but that day was just - well, I got out."

"I'm sorry."

"Oh honey, you have nothing to be sorry for." Bob said, patting his hand. "I may not have a license anymore but you've taken some damage in the last week or so. Randy said you had trouble at school."

"Yeah, one of the guys at school pushed me into a wall."

Bob used one finger to gently tilt Kurt's chin up and peered at his neck, "While he was choking you?"

"Yeah."

"Concussion?"

"A slight one."

"You're following the instructions from your doctor? Getting plenty of liquids and lots of rest?"

"Yes. I'm not a total idiot." Kurt said with a sigh.

"I didn't say you were. You are, however, a man and we men tend to feel like we should bounce right back from injuries. I should know since I once insisted on going skiing with a broken collar bone." Bob said, with a light laugh then added, "And now that we've covered the tough stuff, I hope you'll be coming back next month. I really would like to hear you do Kylie."

It was almost eleven by the time they got in the car since it had taken a while to clean up. Kurt had been allowed to help by setting out tableware for the next morning's breakfast at the cafe and then everyone wanted to make sure that Kurt had their contact info and finally, they were on the road back to Blaine's house.

By some mutual silent agreement, they didn't talk much on the way but it wasn't an uncomfortable silence. The roads were a little slick so Blaine had to spend extra attention around the corners but he got them safely back and parked in the garage.

"Come on. It's cold out and I'm sure the heat's down in the house. It's going to take a while to warm up."

Kurt followed Blaine into the dark house and waited for him to get the alarm reset.

"Do you want to watch a movie? Have some coffee?" Blaine asked, taking Kurt's hand.

"Blaine, I'm kind of tired. Can we just go to bed?"

Blaine nodded then asked, "Uh, do you want to sleep in the guest room?"

Kurt frowned, "Um. If you want me to. I thought -."

"No! Um. Kurt, you know I would never take advantage of you ever. I'd really like to just sleep with you and wake up with you in the morning."

"I know you wouldn't and I'd like that too."

They smiled at each other and Blaine turned to fiddle with the panel. "Then I guess I don't need to turn the heat on downstairs."

Blaine's bedroom wasn't quite what Kurt expected. He knew Blaine actually lived at Dalton and just spent a few weekends and breaks at home during the school year so he thought the room would be empty and sterile. Instead it had almost three walls of floor to ceiling bookcases stuffed full of stuff and well, books. The fourth wall contained a queen sized bed with a green and blue comforter, a nightstand on either side and lots of pillows, a door to a private bathroom and a decent sized window. One of the bookcases had a foldout shelf that held Blaine's laptop. There was a flat screen TV across from the bed and a nice iPod dock with speakers.

"So what do you think?" Blaine asked from the door where he'd been watching Kurt.

"I think you have a lot of books. Have you read all of these?"

"I've read some of them. Some of them were Mom and Dad's books, some of them were Stephen's and Mary's. I think there are a couple from Dad's parents. Every time Mom comes in here, she says we really should get rid of some of them but every time I come home, there seem to be more." Blaine said with a charming shrug. "Do you want to take a bath?"

Kurt blinked at the sudden change of subject and looked down at himself, "Um. Do I need to?"

"No! I mean, you're looking a little sore and there's a jacuzzi tub in the bathroom."

And that's how Kurt found himself sitting in a very deep tub of hot water with the jets burbling around him. Blaine was right, it was just what he needed to take some of the soreness away.

There was a gentle tap on the door and Blaine stuck his head in. "I'm bringing you towels."

"Come on in,"

Blaine carried over three big thick towels and placed them on the warming rack. "You want to know what the worst thing is about Dalton?"

"No what?"

"They have the worst towels. Now I can't blame them because, come on, we're teenage boys and we are hard on towels but the ones at school are like cardboard and they really chafe my skin."

Kurt grinned at the note in Blaine's voice and said, "Oh, you poor baby."

Blaine laughed, "I know. My diamond shoes are too tight. Anyway, do you mind if I take a shower? It's around the corner so I won't be exposing myself and I can keep an eye on you. You look ready to turn into mush."

"No I don't mind and get me out before the mush stage, please. Can you hand me that little blue bag on the counter?"

"Sure."

Kurt had washed his hair before getting into the tub so he busied himself with his moisturizer and conditioner and listening to Blaine hum to himself in the shower. He'd just rinsed off and was thinking about getting out when Blaine came around the corner wearing ratty sweatpants and an equally ratty black t-shirt with the faded words 'I Solemnly Swear I'm Up to No Good' across the chest.

"Nice T-shirt. I had no idea you were a Harry Potter fan." Kurt commented.

Blaine looked down and laughed once he read the words, "It was a phase. I still like the books and movies but when I didn't get my Hogwarts letter, well . . . I upset for weeks."

"Me too although I always suspected I'd be put in Hufflepuff so maybe I wasn't that upset."

"No way, you'd have been Gryffindor all the way. Do you need help getting out?"

"I think I can manage although I feel guilty about wasting all this water."

"We have a gray water system so it's not going to waste. It goes into a tank, gets filtered and is used to flush the toilets."

"Oh so you're not only cute, you're ecologically friendly?"

"That I am."

Okay, Kurt felt a little awkward about coming out of the bathroom although he was wearing perfectly respectable stripped pajama bottoms and a short sleeved white t-shirt. His hair was still a little damp but he'd flossed and brushed and was ready for bed.

Blaine had turned down the bed and left a single light on on the nightstand closest to the bathroom door although Blaine himself was sitting at the foot of the bed.

The gentleman in question stood up as Kurt approached and pressed a soft kiss to Kurt's lips. "Hi. Make yourself comfortable and I'll be out in a minute."

Blaine went into the bathroom and Kurt was left staring at the bed which looked awfully comfortable. He finally decided to get in on the side away from the light and bathroom door. A few minutes later, he heard a click in the bathroom and Blaine opened the door, having already turned off the light. Then Blaine kind of dashed over to the bed and bounced into it.

Kurt bounced too and had to giggle. "What was that all about?"

"I don't know. This kind of reminds me of being nine and having sleep overs with Eliot Stammerfield. We were best friends and I think he was my first serious crush although I really didn't know what I was feeling."

"Are you still friends?" Kurt asked, rolling over to lean up on his hand and look down at Blaine.

"No. His dad got transferred to Florida a year later and they've never come back. We wrote for a couple of years and we're friends on Facebook but we don't really connect anymore. What about you? Who was your first crush?"

"Hm. The first one I remember was Bob on 'Sesame Street'. He was great because he taught music and singing. It's actually kind of funny because the actor who plays Bob was in glee club in college."

"Isn't he also married with a ton of kids?" Blaine asked.

"See? It was hopeless from the start," Kurt said mournfully then laughed. "This is nice."

"It is." Blaine agreed then moved closer and pulled Kurt's arm so it was draped across his waist. "And this is nicer."

"It is."

They laid quietly for a few minutes and then Blaine asked softly, "Can I tell you a secret?"

"Okay."

"The reason I kind of lost it at the club? I've never had anyone sing a song for me and to me. And then you did and then I realized that you almost weren't here tonight and that I could have lost you and we just found each other and god is this world screwed up and -." Blaine made kind of choking sound and rolled himself into Kurt's body and held on tight.

The sound of Blaine's hitching sobs and wetness his shoulder was enough to make Kurt tear up himself and for the first time since he woke up in the hospital, Kurt allowed himself to cry as he tried to comfort Blaine.

(1) "Existentialism On Prom Night" by Straylight Run

(2) "Ain't Even Done With The Night" by John Cougar


	3. Chapter 3

Blaine McGregor was not really a morning person although he'd learned to wake up and get moving quickly in boarding school; evil things happened to students who slept through first period and earned demerits for their floors. Blaine had also learned to value the quiet of the early morning before the dorms exploded into mayhem and lunacy so he'd become an early riser.

On the Monday morning after Christmas, Blaine had expected to wake up next to Kurt but his boyfriend's side of the bed – Blaine paused to savor that thought – was barely warm, Blaine's robe was missing and there was a faint aroma of coffee drifting up the stairs. According to the alarm clock on the nightstand, it was only six thirty four but he was curious about where Kurt was and how he was doing. After a pit stop in the bathroom to pee, brush his teeth and to deal with a wretched case of bed-head, Blaine pulled on his socks and a heavy sweatshirt, checked his messages then wandered downstairs.

Kurt was in front of the stove and stirring something in a pot. He'd obviously been awake for a while as there was coffee brewed, a steaming cup of coffee on the counter next to him and he was swaying to the beat, singing along to the radio that Blaine's mom kept on the kitchen counter.

' . . . all the city lights on the water/You saw me start to believe for the first time/You made a rebel of a careless man's careful daughter/ You are the best thing that's ever been mi-'

"Aah!" Kurt said, having turned around and spotted Blaine standing there, almost dropping the spoon he'd been using, "How long have you been there?" Kurt asked.

"Not long." Blaine replied with a smile, "I thought you didn't like country music?"

Kurt sniffed and turned around, snapping off the burner under the pot. "Taylor Swift is hardly what I'd call country and that's the only station I could get on the radio."

Something about the way Kurt was standing and how his eyes had flashed and looked kind of green in Blaine's plaid robe – Blaine could almost feel his heart flipping over. Despite his best intentions, he walked up behind Kurt and carefully slid his arms around Kurt's waist. He hooked his chin onto Kurt's shoulder and while Kurt didn't exactly freeze at his touch it took a moment for Kurt to relax into Blaine's arms and slip his hands over Blaine's.

"The radio's broken so I'm not accusing you of secretly loving Conway Twitty. I'm sorry I scared you. Did you sleep well?"

"You didn't scare me. I was just surprised and yes I did, thank you." Kurt said, leaning back onto Blaine, "How about you?"

"I did too. So I didn't drool all over you and snore up a storm?" Blaine asked.

"Nope." Kurt replied easily.

They stood there for a moment, Kurt took a breath, turned so he was facing Blaine, draped his arms over Blaine's shoulders and smiled at his boyfriend. "Hi."

Blaine smiled back and let his hands rest lightly on Kurt's waist. "Hi."

"I have to tell you something," Kurt said softly, staring at Blaine's lips with those amazing eyes and moving a little closer.

"What?" Blaine asked just as softly, feeling his pulse start to flutter and race as Kurt's fingers started playing with the curls at the back of his neck.

"All day long yesterday, I kept waiting for you to kiss me. I understood why you didn't kiss me when I got here because that would have been awkward in front of the parents. Right?"

Blaine nodded, "Totally right."

"So I waited and you kept touching me just like you're doing now -" Kurt broke off and looked down where Blaine's left thumb had somehow slipped inside Kurt's pajamas and was making patterns on the soft skin of Kurt's waist.

Blaine, who hadn't consciously done that, stopped and Kurt frowned. Blaine couldn't help frowning too.

"I didn't say stop. Keep touching me; I like it. But you weren't kissing me and I really like that too. Then I woke up this morning and realized that you were probably waiting for me to kiss you. Right?"

Blaine nodded, feeling almost hypnotized by Kurt's eyes and voice and the feel of his skin.

"Because you're a kind and considerate guy and you aren't just going to assume." Kurt whispered in Blaine's ear, "Even though we're dating, you've been waiting for me to make the move. Right?"

"Right." Blaine said faintly, leaning into Kurt, sliding his right hand under Kurt's shirt and up his back to count the vertebrae along Kurt's spine.

"I guess I'd better kiss you. As a reward for your restraint and self-discipline." Kurt said, pulling back a little so he could look at Blaine again.

"Oh, yeah." Blaine watched as Kurt's eyes flicked down to his lips. Blaine's eyes naturally went to Kurt's lips and there was a little hint of the pink of Kurt's tongue -. "Kurt?"

"Yes, Blaine?"

"If you don't kiss me right this minute, I'm going to forget I've ever heard the word 'gentleman'."

Kurt obliged with a soft press of his lips to Blaine's.

For a moment, Blaine just let himself enjoy the kiss because this was Kurt kissing him and that was wonderful. Then Kurt's tongue licked across Blaine's and he opened his mouth to Kurt and Kurt's tongue swept into his mouth and tapped on his teeth like Kurt was sending a Morse code message to Blaine's tongue and Blaine's tongue got that message and answered by twinning with Kurt's. At the same time, Blaine's hands were discovering that Kurt wore some kind of silky boxer briefs and that the play of skin over muscle on Kurt's hips was fascinating and Kurt's hands were tangled up in his hair and they were probably recreating the curls that Blaine tried so hard to tame but Blaine couldn't bring himself to care.

Kurt shifted just a little and slid his leg in between Blaine's and it was perfect. Their bodies were pressed together and there's grinding and more shifting and suddenly Kurt is licking up Blaine's neck and Blaine's fingernails are making ten half-moon imprints into the spare flesh of Kurt's back and Blaine hears a low growl and it takes him a second to realize it's him and that both of Kurt's hands are now in his sweats and cupping his butt and the grinding between them gets close to unbearable and they both freeze for a moment.

"Blaine, is this okay?" Kurt asks, panting a little against Blaine's neck. "Can we really . .?"

"Make each other come standing in my mom's kitchen?" Blaine continued in a rush, tipping his head so Kurt's mouth was closer to his ear, "I'm all for it."

Blaine then realizes that the faint trembles he feels running through Kurt's body aren't entirely from sexual excitement. This is more than they've ever done before. He knows how scary it can be and he might be seventeen and horny as all get out but he's not a complete cad and he's made certain promises to Kurt. Blaine leans back a little so he can look at Kurt's face. Kurt's pupils are dilated, his cheeks are flushed and he's unconsciously biting his lips.

"We can stop if you want us to, Kurt. Stopping right here isn't going to change anything between us. I want you any way I can get you and if that means -."

Kurt pressed two fingers to Blaine's lips and looked at Blaine curiously. "You babble. A lot."

"I know. I assure you that my suave and sophisticated demeanor isn't a total act. I'm not. . . well, I was going to say that I'm not myself around you but that's not true. I think this _is_ who am I am. The real person who doesn't need walls or trenches. I feel . . .free around you. And I'm babbling again, aren't I?"

"You are but I find it endearing." Kurt said with a smirk then leaned in to kiss Blaine again. "I want to. I trust you and I want to."

"But?" Blaine asked when Kurt made no future moves.

"Can we . . .can we lie down on a couch or in a bed?" Kurt asked, looking down and playing with the trim of Blaine's shirt. "I don't want to do it standing up; I'm kind of afraid I'll do something stupid like pass out, you know, after."

"Yes, we can do this in bed." Blaine said feeling liked he'd just been handed the keys to the castle, then looked over Kurt's shoulder to the stove. "What's in that pot?"

"Syrup. I was going to make pancakes."

"Can it sit on the stove or does it need to go in the fridge?"

"It should be okay on the stove for a while."

"Okay." Blaine stepped back from Kurt, adjusted himself and turned to the coffee maker, taking out a couple travel mugs and handing one to Kurt. "We don't want to waste the coffee."

Once they finished fixing their cups, Blaine took Kurt's hand and led him back up stairs. Blaine knew it was silly but he couldn't help walking backwards so he could keep looking at Kurt.

"Blaine, I'm not going to run away." Kurt said, looking at him with dancing eyes.

"I know. I just like looking at you." Blaine replied, leading Kurt into his bedroom.

Kurt lifted his arms and helped Blaine take off his t-shirt. The room was a little cold and he could feel his nipples react. Kurt was tempted to cross his arms but the way Blaine gazed at him with admiration so Kurt let his arms drop. Then he reached over and helped Blaine remove his sweatshirt and t-shirt in one move and was almost too busy staring at Blaine's bare chest to really notice when Blaine asked him something.

"Kurt?" Blaine said, waving his hand in Kurt's face.

"Wha-huh?"

"Do you want to keep your pajama bottoms on?" Blaine asked, hooking a finger into the waistband of his sweats.

Kurt thinks about it for a minute and shakes his head, "No. Wait. Um, are you taking your sweats off?'

"Yeah. If you don't mind?"

"Uh no." Kurt said, nervously.

"Kurt." Suddenly Blaine was closer and his arm was around Kurt's waist. "We can leave them on. We can still stop."

"I'm not getting cold feet," Kurt replied, feeling a blush rise on his face. "I just remembered that I'm wearing what Mercedes gave me for Christmas."

Blaine stepped back, cocked his hip back and asked, "Mercedes buys you underwear? For Christmas?"

Kurt sighed, "She knows how picky I am about my – well, everything I put on my body. A couple of years ago, I found these boxer briefs at the mall. Ten pair for ten bucks because they were on clearance. They were bamboo and Lycra and I don't know if you've noticed but I tend to wear fitted pants -."

"Oh, trust me, I've noticed." Blaine said with fervor.

"Those boxer briefs work perfectly under fitted pants but guess what? They're like thirty bucks each on the internet not including shipping and I'm picky but not a millionaire. Mercedes has an aunt who lives in Detroit and every time Mercedes goes up to visit, she goes over to Canada then brings me back underwear. It's a lot less expensive buying it there. Normally, I pay her back but this year, she decided to give me ten pair because I'm quote unquote difficult to buy for."

Blaine chuckled and shook his head, "Still doesn't explain what's so embarrassing about the ones you're wearing."

"I'll just let you see them, I guess." Kurt said, turning his back to Blaine, loosening the knot in his pajamas and letting them fall to the floor. He tensed, waiting for the hysterical laughter.

After a full minute he stepped out of his discarded pajamas and turned around to see Blaine just standing there staring at him and kind of panting.

Kurt looked down at the pair he was wearing and then back at Blaine. "Um? Blaine? They're pink. Isn't that funny?"

Blaine shook his head sharply and took a step forward, his hand lifting and then he ran a finger along Kurt's hip. "God, Kurt. You have no idea. I mean, I knew you had a great body and your skin is – wow."

Blushing, Kurt looked down at Blaine's hand. "I work out and I drink lots of water."

Stepping even closer, Blaine's other hand slipped around Kurt's waist. "Kurt, for the record? That color is nude not pink. I thought my heart was going to explode when you dropped your jammies because it looked like you weren't wearing any underwear. None. And then you were. Wow."

It took a minute but Kurt finally added up the staring, the panting, the way Blaine couldn't seem to keep his hands off the line where Kurt's underwear started and the now obvious tent in Blaine's sweats. "Is this kind of a kink for you?"

"It must be a new one. If I wasn't a thousand percent sure that it would totally freak you out . . .I would be on my knees right now."

Kurt thought about that for approximately .0047369 of a second, "I wouldn't freak out."

"You wouldn't? But you were kind of scared downstairs and -."

"Oh my cheesus. This is exactly what Quinn what talking about." Kurt said, shaking his head.

"Quinn? Your brother's baby mama?" Blaine asked, confused.

"She's not Finn's baby mama. She got pregnant by Puck while dating Finn but now she's dating Sam -."

"They need to make a TV show about your high school – they could call it, 'As the Dead President Turns.'".

Kurt laughed, "Okay, that's good but wait – Quinn said that men have two flaws – we don't talk and we don't listen."

"Hey!" Blaine exclaimed, looking affronted.

"That's what I said but she's totally right. I thought we talked about this but let me say it to you in plain language. I've masturbated, watched porn and hey, I've even got a few toys from Good Vibrations. I'm a virgin but I'm not some Victorian miss who will faint at the mere thought of sex. Are we both clear on this?" Kurt asked, standing with his hands on his hips and staring at Blaine.

Blaine coughed, sat down on the bed and crossed his legs."Yes."

"You are a kind and considerate person and you don't want to pressure me and I won't lie, I'm a little scared but mostly I'm nervous because I have no actual experience. None. Zero. Nada. Zip. I have no idea what to do and I keep waiting for 'bow chicka wow wow' to start so if I promise not to lie there and think of England, can you be the one who leads this time?"

Blaine laughed a little, pushed off his sweats and held out his hand,"Yeah, I can."

Kurt put his hand into Blaine's and let Blaine led him onto the bed.

They kissed for what felt like hours and by the end, Kurt was clinging to Blaine like a Disney prince clings to his one true love who just happens to be one of the other Disney princes. Of course Walt was probably spinning in his grave at that thought but that wasn't Kurt's problem. His problem was being so hard and wanting to thrust up against Blaine but Blaine outweighed him and isn't afraid to use that weight to keep Kurt pinned and unable to move beyond very tiny thrusts. Kurt wondered faintly if being pinned down should worry him but he was currently too busy feeling and watching Blaine lick his right nipple.

"You've, uh, been holding back, haven't you?" Kurt asked breathlessly, trying not to whine or tear Blaine's hair out by the roots.

"Just a little. I like foreplay." Blaine replied then licked his way over to Kurt's left nipple before continuing, "I'm trying to decide something."

"W-what?"

"How you get to come."

Kurt, sounding a little frustrated, asked "You mean, you're going to let me?"

Blaine looked up and grinned, "We've got hours and we're both going to come at least three times. Can we get rid of our underwear?"

"Yeah."

Since they were under the covers, it wasn't so weird for Kurt to be naked with Blaine for the first time and have Blaine be naked with him. It was kind of shocking to feel Blaine's very hard penis brush his hip and know that the damp trail he felt was pre-come. It was even more shocking to feel his own penis rub against Blaine's surprisingly hairy thigh. Just the thought of all this was enough to make Kurt come and he couldn't help reaching down and taking hold of himself until the urge passed. He didn't even notice when Blaine shifted to lie beside him and lifted up the covers to watch.

"Oh. Oh, that's it." Blaine whispered, kissing Kurt's shoulder and shifting so he was pressed up against Kurt's side, "Show me what you like to do."

It was just a matter of changing the grip of his hand and it was so hot, touching himself in front of Blaine who was staring at him with rapt fascination, telling him to go for it and that he is beautiful. He's coming hard in an embarrassingly short time. Before he has time to say anything, Blaine throws off the bedclothes and is – oh god – delicately licking the come from Kurt's hand and stomach. Kurt is hard again almost instantly and Blaine sort of swims up his body and then Blaine's cock sliding next to his, somehow one of Kurt's legs is hitched up around Blaine's waist and Blaine's hips are rocking into him and then they're both coming and it's hot and sticky and a little messy.

Once they've both caught their breath, Blaine pressed a quick hard kiss onto Kurt's lips and then rolled off of Kurt and the bed, heading for the bathroom. "I'll be right back."

Kurt couldn't help watching Blaine's bare butt disappear and even sat up to enjoy the view of Blaine's front side returning with a damp wash cloth. He didn't even protest when Blaine used the wash cloth to casually wipe off the come that was drying on Kurt.

Blaine tossed the cloth onto his pile of clothes, fluffed up the pillows, pulled up the covers over both of them and handed over Kurt's coffee mug while grabbing his own. Blaine then leaned back against the pillows and patted the sheets next to him. Kurt slid over and they somehow got settled with Kurt lying up against Blaine's side but with his hand free so he could sip at the still warm coffee.

Blaine had his coffee in one hand and had one arm slung over Kurt's shoulders, drawing little patterns along Kurt's back and neck. They were quiet for several minutes before Blaine broke the silence.

"What did you think? Was it okay?"

"I came twice in three minutes. So yeah, it was all good."

"There's nothing wrong with a fast recovery. It's the only good thing about being our age so enjoy while you can. Soon enough, we'll be fifty years old and popping Viagra or whatever the equivalent will be then. Hey, quick tip for you – never get my mom and my sister started on how man's quest for the eternal erection has run and ruined civilization."

Kurt coughed and almost spit up his coffee, "Uh, I promise?"

"Good because that rant is really emasculating. Are you finished with your coffee?"

"Pretty much."

"Do you want to go take a shower?"

"Seriously, do you have a clean fetish?"

"Kurt? I wasn't planning on cleaning in there."

Kurt thought about then smiled, "I could get on board with that plan."

Blaine had to agree with Kurt's rather awed expression over his shower. He'd felt the same way when he'd inherited the room from his sister. The shower was a ten by twelve foot cube with every known luxury feature including steam, aroma-therapy, LCD TV behind glass and touchscreen controls. At twelve he'd have showered every hour if his parents hadn't threatened to turn off the water to his bathroom.

He was busy explaining that to Kurt while he adjusted the water temperature and nozzles.

"Your parents installed a tank-less water heater for you?"

"Well, they did it so they'd finally have hot water in their shower. Dad did start calling this shower his son-in-law and well, that took some of the magic away plus I transferred to Dalton." Blaine said then leaned back against the tiles and cast what could only be called a 'come hither' look at Kurt, "You know, I have this fantasy about being in here with you and grabbing you by your tie and having my way with you."

"Why would I be wearing a tie in the shower?" Kurt asked looking interested and moving closer.

"I have no idea. And it's not just a tie, you're wearing a white shirt that goes all translucent in the water and kind of clings to you. Let me just tell you that the wet look is a very good look for you." Blaine said, sliding his hand down to his cock; it took just a second for Kurt come over and stand close to him.

Blaine really wished he had a camera to capture the look in Kurt's eyes as Kurt watched him stroke himself. Those amazing eyes were wide and trained on him like laser beams and the water is beading on those ridiculous lashes.

Using his free hand, Blaine reached up and brought Kurt's face close so he could kiss those lips. Kurt made a happy sound and finally started touching him. When Kurt's hand joined Blaine's, Blaine made a happy sound of his own.

"Um Kurt, can you help me out with this?"

Kurt looks startled and then starts to sink to his knees, which was not what Blaine was really thinking about but before he could tell Kurt that a handjob would be just fine, Kurt's tongue is darting out to taste him, Kurt's surprisingly strong hands are grasping his hips and those perfect lips are opening up . . . the words, 'you don't have to' were replaced with gasps and moans and maybe even a scream or two.

Once he recovered, it was the least he could do to return the favor and after that, they dried off and returned to bed to sleep for a few hours.


End file.
